Avatar: Lead by Vengeance Book 1: Beginnings
by c0balt
Summary: Avatar: Lead by Vengeance is my first Fan-fic. The prologue of the story is based in the lifetime of the Avatar after Korra, and the main story is in modern day society, where benders have become rare enough that the general public don't even know of their existence. Isaac, a young firebender is paying for his fathers mistakes and it finds he has the power for revenge.
1. Prologue: Bumi's Plan

**Prologue**

It was a warm night on Kyoshi Island. But this wasn't what stopped Avatar Bumi from sleeping. He couldn't help but feel on edge, as if something was going to happen that he had to be ready for. Not just paranoia, he felt as if the Avatars before him, Korra, Aang, Roku, where trying to warn him of something. It was nearing the summer solstice, so a connection like this wouldn't be unusual for him.

Born to a mother, not ready for a son, Bumi's entire memory of childhood was the Ba Sing Se orphanage. He was left at the door, with a note. His name, Bumi, after the great king of Omashu. At a young age he discovered he had the gift of earthbending. But for him it was a curse. Potential parents didn't want an earthbender child destroying their homes. If not for the kindness of Bolin, an elderly volunteer at the orphanage, Bumi would have run away from the orphanage, and tried to fend for himself. Bolin understood Bumi, having lost his parents at a young age, and was the only one who showed the outcast earthbender child any kindness.

All through his childhood, Bumi had nightmares. Constant terrors of bloodbenders, the 100 year war, and storms at sea. It wasn't until later in life that Bumi knew what these nightmares were. Memories of his past lives. It all made so much sense after Bumi discovered he was the Avatar. The blood benders, the 100 year war that Avatar Aang ended, and the storm at sea.

Bumi grew up in the orphanage as a normal earthbender child. He was never adopted, and learnt the basics of earthbending from Bolin. Once he had mastered them, he taught himself what he could. But it wasn't until one fateful night that he realised his true identity as the Avatar.

The cult known as the burning sun had been a pest to all the nations of the world since the end of the 100 year war. Their one goal was to try and start the war again, but they never had the strength to do any more than burn the occasional farm. When they would get too out of hand, the Avatar at the time would be sent to dispose of them, but like weeds in a garden, they were never truly gone. They would always pop up again a few years later, and the Avatar would dispose of them again.

5 months after Bumi's 17th birthday, the burning suns made their most daring attack in history. They made their way through the Crystal Catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se, and made their way to the Lower Ring, where they burnt everything they could. It was the screams of burning citizens that awoke Bumi. It wasn't until after he got up, he smelt smoke, and realised the orphanage had been set alight. He ran out onto the street, and was shocked to see his nightmares become reality.

The smell of burning flesh was in the air, and Bumi knew he couldn't stand by and watch his friends and neighbours are killed. He struck the ground with his fists, causing it to split, and throwing the Burning Sun Fire Benders off balance. While the firebenders where vulnerable, he levitated the small rocks left by the fissure, and sent them towards the firebenders. Some of the pack went down, and stayed down, but others didn't and turned their attention to Bumi. Realising how overpowered he was, Bumi raised a wall of solid stone to protect himself, but that was soon destroyed by the oncoming inferno. He thought it was over when a tongue of flames knocked him to the ground.

Suddenly, he felt the ground beneath him drop, and a slab of stone cover him trapping him in a cold tomb. It wasn't until he heard the voice of Bolin that he realised what had happened. Bolin, must have seen what was happening, and trapped Bumi out of harm's way. Bumi forced the slab that blocked his escape out of the way, and joined the battle once again, but by then it was too late. Bolin was outnumbered, and though a great earthbender, age kept him from fighting his best. The sight of Bolin's body sent a sensation through Bumi he had never encountered before. He felt a sudden surge of energy, and then there was black.

Bumi awoke a few hours later. He was alive, but the orphanage was in ruins, and the firebenders of the burning suns, dead. The street was empty. It was silent. Looking for some sign of life, Bumi started running to the palace. He found this though when he got to the middle ring of Ba Sing Se. Four men, in indigo coloured armour approached Bumi, hands at the ready in case there would be a fight. They started to talk to him, but a sharp pain hit Bumi on the head, and everything went black.

He awoke, and found himself tied up, in an empty, burnt house. Empty, except for the one man. He wore armour similar to the men on the street, but had more expensive looking armour. Bumi could tell he was the boss of the gang, whoever they were. The man apologized for having Bumi knocked out, his reason being they didn't know if he would come quietly. After confirming that Bumi was the one witness' saw fighting for the orphanage, he said something that changed Bumi's life forever. "Hail, Avatar Bumi".

Bumi later learned that the men, who knocked him out, were the order of the white lotus, and when he fell unconscious during the fight for the orphanage, he went into what they described as the avatar state. He struggled to cope with the guilt of killing the burning suns, at first, but eventually his Avatar training took priority, and the guilt faded.

Eventually Bumi finished his Avatar training, mastering all four elements. He settled down on Kyoshi Island, where he met the woman who would become his wife, the Kyoshi warrior Mara.

Unlike Korra and Aang, the Avatars before him, the world never had a crisis that he was required to end. All the real issues in the world, the militia of the nations were able to fix before he was required. Bumi was a figurehead. All he was really required for was official ceremonies. Other than that, he spent most of his time at home. But Bumi had one thing different about him to the rest of the Avatars. He had received the most assassination attempts.

Bumi didn't know whether it was things that his past lives had done against people, which they wanted to take out on him, or whether people just didn't want an Avatar any more, Bumi would be fighting off assassins, and almost getting killed in the process. In his life, 7 attempts had been made on his life, and he had survived each one of them.

The feeling returned, and that was when he knew what was happening. Jumping out of his bed, he generated a flame to light up the room. It was seemingly empty. He then stopped, took a breath, and listened, something that Bolin taught him at the orphanage. Bolin himself didn't learn this until later in life, but was a far better earthbender after learning this, and drilled it into Bumi. Then he heard it. The tiniest crack. A twig being broken. That was enough. Creating a gust of wind from his palms, Bumi broke off the wall panel closest to where he heard the noise. Suddenly the flames were extinguished. Bumi heard a scream, in the dark. Before it hit him who it was, he was knocked off his feet. The unknown assailant drew a dagger from his belt, and then with some type of firebending, heated it until it was red hot. It was too dark to see anything but the red glow of the dagger, its owner walking towards him. Becoming desperate, Bumi kicked towards the assailant, sending a fireball towards them. They avoided it with ease, but gave Bumi just enough time. Short flames extended from his fists, and before the assailant realised what was about to happen, Bumi was on him, with one his makeshift daggers at his throat.

"Who sent you?" asked Bumi, pushing the flame closer when there was no reply.

Finally the trembling man said something. "They threatened my family. They said that I would never see them again, if I didn't succeed in killing you."

After hearing this, Bumi loosened his grip on the man, still remaining cautious.

"And what did they say would happen if you succeeded?"

"I was told that my family would be released, and our debt paid"

Bumi considered the situation for a minute. Mara was dead; he had no family, and was in a world that didn't need him, a world that wanted him gone. And had this assassin done his job, the next Avatar would face the same fate, as would the one after that. Bumi removed the amulet he had around his neck, and gave it to the man. The amulet was a gift from Fire Lord Iroh, and was unique.

"Tell whoever sent you that I went into the avatar state, and you killed me then. Give them this as proof." He said to the man, who had a shocked look on his face,

"Thank you. My family are forever in your debt".

After that night, Bumi ran away, and lived in the Eastern air temple. News got around, even to Bumi, that the avatar cycle had been broken. What disappointed Bumi, was that nobody seemed to care that the Avatar was no more. He lived in a time that was against him.

Bumi died at age 73 in his sleep. He died in peace, knowing that whoever took his place, will not be hunted as he was.

300 years passed, and the Avatar was eventually forgotten. Many Avatars were born, but never discovered. They lived and died as ordinary people, and the world coped without them. But though the world thought they didn't need an Avatar, there came a time when they were proven horribly wrong…


	2. Chapter 1: Dreams and Reality

**Chapter 1 Dreams and Reality**

Isaac awoke shaking. It was another nightmare. Tongues of flame, spears of ice, and people causing devastation with glowing eyes. Isaac had suffered from these night terrors all his life. His mom had sent his to countless therapists and psychologists, but they never could find the root of it. In the end, they blamed the nightmares on his father leaving when he was young, so they could keep making money off of him. But the nightmares never stopped. What they didn't know was that Isaac was a fire bender. One of the few left in the world with the ability to manipulate the elements. Not even his mom knew his secret. The only person who knew was his father, Samuel, who passed on his gift.

Before Isaac was born, his dad had been involved with the wrong crowd. He met in secret with some of the few benders left, and became drunk with power. Isaac didn't know all the details, but he knew that his father made enemies, and went into hiding. Then he met Isaacs mom, Jennifer. They dated for years, eventually married. Jennifer knew parts of Samuels past. As far as she was concerned, he was with a gang, and bending didn't exist, and as long as it remained as his past, she was fine with it. Eventually she fell pregnant with Isaac.

When Isaac was five, Jennifer asked Samuel to take care of Isaac for the night, while she went out to a work function. Samuel turned his eye for 2 minutes, and in that time Isaac had found some matches. This was the first time he ever firebended. Samuel walked in, to see a small flame hovering above Isaacs hand, and burnt matches on the floor. Fearing that enemies from his past would try and seek Isaac for their cause, he left that night, after telling Isaac what he was, and how nobody can find out.

Grabbing the first clothes he could find, Isaac ran out the door to the station. He knew that it would be another half hour before he got to school, and that it started in 10 minutes. He also knew there was nothing he could do to get there on time, so he relaxed, and enjoyed the train ride. He finally got to school, and managed to get to second period class without anybody noticing his lateness.

Recess was next, and since he had no breakfast, and was falling asleep, went to the 11th grade common room to make a coffee, a feeble attempt to kick-start himself. That plan disappeared when he saw the line. It didn't stop him though. Heating the water from his "personal source", he sipped away at his coffee for the rest of recess, amused at the people waiting in line.

School finished and Isaac walked to his friend Asher's house. After eating dinner, Isaac walked home. Tonight felt like an average night, but it was the night that changed everything for him. Isaac decided to take a shortcut through an alley. He had gotten to the other side, when a man walked in front of his path. The man smelt of alcohol, and was covered in tattoos. But what had Isaac scared the most, was the flick knife.

"Give me your wallet, and your phone, and nobody gets hurt" said the mugger.

Isaac froze on the spot. He didn't have his phone or his wallet with him. When he said nothing, the mugger advanced towards him. Without a second thought, Isaac punched the air in front of him, and created a tongue of flame. Suddenly the smug look on the man's face became one of fear, as he stumbled to the ground. Isaac then thrusted his hands towards the man, creating a larger flame, which knocked him back further, causing him to hit his head on the ground. He head injury knocked the man out, and his clothes were singed. Isaac ran, ashamed of what he had done. He had never used his gift to hurt another person before.

Isaac ran home, and went straight to bed, but he couldn't sleep. He was plagued with guilt from what he had done. He couldn't help but picture the man burning. Though it was silent, all he could hear was the man screaming. He knew that his mind was exaggerating what had happened, but he felt that might as well have happened. Eventually he fell asleep, where the only the nightmares reached him.

Isaac woke up the next morning earlier than usual. He had set 3 alarms to wake him up, in case one of them didn't like the day before. He walked over to the kitchen and poured himself a bowl of cereal, then sat down in front of the TV. Isaac, like most teenagers didn't watch the news, but it was on, and he could not be bothered turning it off.

"Last night in an alley off 42nd street, a man was admitted into hospital with a concussion, and minor burns. The only witness to this event was a security camera, which depicts him attempting to mug somebody, but not expecting a fight. Channel 6 warns you that the following video may be disturbing to young viewers."

Isaac wasn't paying attention, until he saw himself, knocking the mugger from the night before onto the ground, and flames everywhere on the TV.

"_Crap, I should have thought to check for cameras!"_ thought Isaac. Truth was, Isaac was that scared, his first thought was to go home. After having a second look at the video, Isaac was relieved to find he was wearing his hoodie at the time, and the camera was behind him during the fight. He was safe, for now.

"Officials are stating that the man being mugged in the video was believed to be a firebender, and that the police are taking care of the situation. They also want anybody with information on his whereabouts to contact the number on screen. They also warn the public not to approach this man about the matter if they know who it is, as the man could become violent if threatened."

Isaac checked the time, and turned off the TV when he realised he needed to get to the train station. He grabbed his bag, and ran out the door.

7 hours later Isaac got home from school.

"Mum, I'm home" he said as he walked in the door and dumped his bag next to it.

"Isaac, can you come here please, we have guests" said Jennifer.

Isaac walked into the lounge room, to see 2 police officers sitting on the couch opposite his mother.


	3. Chapter 2: Truth and Lies

**Chapter 2 Truth and Lies**

"Isaac?" said one of them. Isaac nodded, and he continued. "My name is Sergeant Johnstone, and this is Constable Gibson. We would like to speak to you about the incident in the alley off 42nd street last night. You're not in trouble, we just need to have a word with you."

"Wait, what incident?" asked Jennifer, with a concerned tone, "Isaac, what are they talking about?"

"Isaac was the victim of an attempted robbery last night." explained Constable Gibson.

"What? Did they hurt you?" shrieked a panicking Jennifer.

"No mom I'm fine, I fought him off. But how did you two find me?" asked Isaac.

"We keep track of all possible benders in our jurisdiction. That was quite a display of firebending you showed last night" said sergeant Johnstone.

"FIREBENDING? Isaac what is he talking about?" Jennifer was almost in tears.

Constable Gibson looked shocked. "You never knew he was a firebender? It never occurred to you that he may be one? He is his father's son after all…"

"What has Samuel got to do with this? Was he a firebender as well?"

Eventually it was all too much for Jennifer, and she burst into tears.

"I think we owe you an explanation, if you are in the dark to this degree." Admitted Johnstone, "Historians have come to the conclusion that 500 years ago, there were four nations. Water, Earth, Fire and Air. Each of these nations was home to non-benders like you and me, and benders like Isaac. Balance was kept between the nations by a figure known as the Avatar. Legend has it that the Avatar was the link between this world, and the supposed spirit world. They upon death, would be born again somewhere in the next nation in the cycle. They had the ability to bend the four elements."

"Is the history lesson necessary?" Asked Isaac. Johnstone ignored him and kept going.

"500 years ago, the avatar at the time disappeared, and the fire nation declared war on the rest of the world. After a century of war, the Avatar returned, and ended the war, and there was peace. But after that, a cult of firebenders who wanted to restart the war came into existence, known as the burning suns. Eventually, the war was forgotten, and the burning suns reason for existence was forgotten like the war. Now they are just a gang. They are ruthless, and will kill whoever gets in their way."

"Wait, if this burning suns gang is so dangerous, how come we have never heard of them?" asked Jennifer.

"Because if people found out that their streets are ruled by a pyromaniac gang, the city would go into chaos. Then there would be the vigilantes who will try and stop them, and get killed in the process. They have been inactive the past few years, so they have been easy to cover up."

"What has this got to do with Samuel?" said Jennifer.

"22 years ago, Samuel was approached by the burning suns, with an offer to join them. Samuel accepted and was a loyal member for 4 years. He met you Jennifer, and eventually you fell pregnant with Isaac. He came to the police, and explained his situation. He didn't want the gang to have anything to do with his family. It was impossible to leave the gang. In exchange for secrets about the burning suns, we had the three of you relocated. You were oblivious to this of course, Samuel told you he got a job interstate. Truth is, we pulled some strings, and got him a job, so he had an excuse for moving. Everything worked well for 5 years. Then we were approached by Samuel again. He said your safety was at risk, and he asked us to make him disappear. We moved him interstate, and never heard from him again"

"That was the night he caught me firebending" exclaimed Isaac.

"Well that explains it. With the exclusive nature of the burning suns, being firebender only, they will approach any firebender they can find. Samuel must have realised that if he was found, you would be found also, and forced into his old life." explained Gibson.

"I knew he had a criminal past, but I never knew it was to this extent. I thought it was just a robbery or two, not this" wept Jennifer.

Sergeant Johnstone checked his watch and continued to speak.

"We have already stayed too long, we should be back at the station giving a debrief by now. We just came here to let you know that though defending yourself like you did last night is ok, unnecessary public displays are not. Neither is breaking the law. We don't want people to panic, they are already scared after seeing the footage from last night on the news.. If you do, we will find you. If you don't, then you won't hear from us again. "

"Is that a threat?" asked Isaac.

"Not if you stay on the right side of the law. Good day Mrs. Reed, Isaac, sorry for the inconvenience"

The two police officers then stood up, and left.

Isaac went up to his room, and laid on his bed, thinking about what had happened. He was glad to know why his father left, but wondered, where was he now? Did he keep running, or was he caught? Would he be proud of Isaac? Isaac eventually fell asleep, and had no nightmares for the first time in months, after having such a full day.


	4. Chapter 3: A New Face

**Chapter 3: A New Face**

After the visit by the police, life went back to normal. Get up, go to school and come home. The day after the police visit, Isaac was sitting in the school common room during one of his free periods with Asher.

"Did you see the news the past few days? The story of the mugger attacking the firebender? I laughed so hard when that alcoholic hit the ground." said Asher, trying to start some form of conversation.

"Yeah, serves the guy right" agreed Isaac. Then Asher's voice dropped.

"How long have you been a firebender for?" he asked.

Hiding his shock, Isaac asked him what he was talking about.

"Come on Isaac, I know it was you on the news. The mugging happened after you left my house, and you always go past 42nd street on your way home from my place. Then there is also the fact that you were wearing that black hoodie and had a red backpack when you left my house. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." He explained.

"I have known since I was 5. That's why my dad left." Explained Isaac, "you can't tell anyone though. The cops found me, and threatened me if I didn't keep it a secret."

The bell rang for the next period to start, and Asher promised to keep Isaacs secret. Isaac walked to the chemistry room and sat down in his usual place in the classroom. The teacher eventually came, with a teenage girl next to him. She had straight dark brown hair, and blue eyes. She kept looking around the room, as if she had to watch her back. If she was a new student like Isaac thought, then she had every right to, high school being the social hierarchy it is.

"Quiet everyone, I'm paid to teach, not let you talk for the next hour" said his teacher. The class laughed, some at the joke, and some at the stupidity of it. Eventually the class settled.

"Before we begin, we have a new student joining our class. This is Kayla Thompson."

The teacher looked around the class for a free seat, and noticed the one next to Isaac.

"Kayla, why don't you sit with Isaac over there? Fourth row, second from the left.

Kayla walked over and sat next to Isaac. The lesson progressed, and the teacher kept talking. After a while, Isaac lost concentration, and was staring into space. He would have stayed that way until the bell, if a piece of paper wasn't pushed into his elbow.

"_Could this get any more boring"_ said the note from Kayla.

After looking up to see that the teacher was still writing on the board, Isaac wrote on the piece of paper _"Yeah, he could get started on organic chemistry."_

He passed the note back to Kayla, to which she laughed upon reading it. They continued to write notes over the course of the lesson, and before he had even heard her voice, Isaac could tell there was something special about her.

Weeks went by and school was normal. Eventually the hype about the firebender on the news had died down, and Isaac and Kayla became close friends. They were talking during one of their free periods.

"I'll be back in a minute. Nature is calling" said Kayla.

"Could have gone the rest of my life without knowing that but okay" joked Isaac.

Kayla got up and left, and then a few seconds later, Asher came over.

"Gettin' in there eh buddy?" said Asher with a childish grin.

"Geez I can't even look at a girl without you getting ideas" said Isaac

"Ideas just like you are" laughed Asher, "So what's the deal with her. Are you 'interested'?

"Yeah, she's great," said Isaac, "but I'm not sure if she is interested in me"

"I am very tempted to ask for you" said Asher teasingly.

"Do that and I'll burn your house down."

After a second, the hidden message finally hit Asher.

"I see what you did there" he laughed.

"But yeah, so far Kayla and I just friends, if we become more, I am not sure…" Isaac never finished the sentence. He was interrupted by a bang. He ran over to the window to see what had happened. The science wing of the school was in flames, and the building next to it soon joined it with another bang. The schools fire alarm rang, and everyone ran to the closest exit.

"Kayla is in the bathroom!" said Isaac to Asher

"Dude, at this rate, you won't make it out alive if we don't get out of here now!" said Asher grabbing him by the arm. Asher was one of the biggest guys in the year level, as well as the strongest. Isaac didn't stand a chance, and was dragged outside.

When they got outside, they turned to look at the building. The fire department hadn't arrived yet, and Isaac was still pulling trying to break free of Asher's iron grip. Then the building they were just in burst into flames.

"No!" screamed Isaac.

Not caring about the police officers' warning, he firebent a fireball and scorched Asher's feet. The sudden burning caused him to let go of Isaac. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Isaac ran towards the building. A burning piece of wood, once part of the frame of the school, blocked his path. Pushing forward with his hands, like he did to the mugger weeks before, he sent a powerful jet of flames, causing the wood to crumble, as he ran through the door.

Isaac ran towards the bathroom, screaming Kayla's name, hoping for some sort of response.

He got to the second floor, when he saw a man in a hood walking down the corridor. He was wearing a hood, and a shirt, with a logo of a crimson sun on a dark background. He had never seen the logo before, but knew who it was.

The burning suns thug shouted to Isaac.

"Isaac Reed? You're coming with me."

Isaac had realised what had happened. He had caused the fire. He was the reason Kayla was probably dead. Fuelled with rage, Isaac bended a fireball, and sent it towards the burning suns thug. Using his own bending, the thug stopped it, but not before Isaac bent the flames from the wall, and ignited the thug with them. The thug yelled, trying to extinguish his flaming clothes. Isaac took this moment, and created the last fireball, below the thug's feet. The fireball destroyed the already weak floor, causing the thug to hit the ground on the floor below.

Lungs, filled with smoke, Isaac was near passing out, when he heard a scream.

"Isaac! I'm trapped in here; the fire is blocking the door! Help me!" screamed Kayla, her words interrupted by a violent cough. It was too late for Isaac. The smoke filled his lungs, and his vision started to go black.

Suddenly a surge of energy went through Isaac's veins, and a strange sensation hit him. Losing control of himself, Isaac used his firebending to blast the door open. He ran in and found Kayla unconscious on the ground. Still unaware what was happening, and why he had lost control of his own body, Isaac was only able to watch, as he picked up Kayla, and destroyed the wall with his firebending. It had never been this powerful before. Then the strangest thing of all happened. Isaac, or whoever was in control of him, lifted his free arm towards the ground outside the destroyed wall; he clenched his fist and lifted his hand. Suddenly the earth outside was pulled towards him. Carrying the unconscious Kayla, he walked onto the platform which lowered until it was at ground level. After he placed Kayla on the ground, the strange sensation left him and everything went black.


	5. Chapter 4 Who To and Not To Trust

**Chapter 4: Who To and Not To Trust**

All Isaac could see was darkness. Pure black, with wisps of smoke. The wisps of smoke began to move, all to the one place. Eventually the smoke joined together, to create the ghostly shape of a man. He was in his fifties, but looked strong and fit for his age. His beard matched his black-grey hair.

"Hello Isaac, I am Avatar Bumi. I think you have the right to some answers." Said the ghostly figure.

"Is this real, or am I concussed?" asked Isaac.

Bumi laughed, his voice was deep and booming.

"Why can't it be both? You Isaac are the Avatar, the link between the world of the living and the world of spirits. Us talking now is an example of that." He said.

"But the Avatars died out didn't they? Something happened to you, which caused the Avatar to not be reborn. When the police told me about the Avatar, I researched it on some history site online." Said Isaac.

"I don't know what you mean by 'online', but then my plan worked. Around 300 years ago, I am not too sure exactly, you tend to lose track of time in the spirit world, I was the Avatar. But unlike the Avatars before me, I was not wanted or needed. All of my life, I was faced with assassination attempts." Explained Bumi, with a grave expression.

"Then one night, I had the closest encounter with death yet. I managed to subdue the assassin, but not before they killed my wife. It was then I decided that while the world does not want an Avatar, me, nor any avatars after me will be safe as long as the world knows we exist. The state you experienced during the fire at your school is what is known as the Avatar state. It is triggered by states of extreme emotion, or immediate danger. All the power and experience of previous Avatar becomes available to your disposal when you are in that state. While you are powerful in this state, you are also vulnerable. If you were to die in this state, the avatar cycle would die with you."

"Where are you going with this?" Asked Isaac.

"On the last attempt on my life, I learned that the assassin was forced to kill me, with his family held hostage if he didn't succeed. I gave him an object that he could use as evidence to say he killed me. He told whoever hired him that I went into the Avatar state and he killed me then, ending the Avatar cycle. Everybody believed the Avatars where no more, and since nobody was seeking them, none were discovered. Many Avatars before you have lived, believing they were normal people until the day they died." Said Bumi.

"But what is so special about me, that I am to know I am the Avatar?" Asked Isaac.

"The world is going to need you soon; you need to know who you are to be any use to the world. I have to go. You are going to become conscious soon, and with your lack of spiritual training, I won't be able to communicate with you then." Said Bumi. The smoke started to blow away and as fast as he appeared, Bumi was gone.

Isaac awoke in a hospital bed. The heart monitor was beeping rapidly. It took him a second to remember what had happened. As he remembered, his heart rate increased. Then he remembered the last thing to happen.

"Kayla!" he screamed. The last he saw of her, was when he placed her unconscious body on the ground.

"Kayla!"

"Isaac, calm down. Kayla is fine. She has you to thank for that"

Isaac looked next to his bed to see a tired Asher sitting in the chair.

"Please tell me you have slept since I got in here. You are struggling to stay awake now; you don't have to be a genius to see that" Said Isaac.

"Not gonna lie to you, I haven't" said Asher, laughing at his friend.

"Well that's a bit gay." Said Isaac jokingly.

Asher laughed. He was glad to see his friend back to usual.

"Isaac!" Yelled a familiar voice from the doorway.

Before he could turn around to see who it was, Kayla had jumped on him, and had her arms wrapped around him.

"Kayla! Get off him; he is weak enough after saving you. He doesn't need to be crushed as well."

Said Asher, taking him a second to realise that he had jumped into his own grave.

"Are you calling me fat?" Yelled Kayla.

"Guys, please shut up, I have enough of a headache as it is." Laughed Isaac.

"Isaac! Thank you! I am so sorry! You almost died, because you saved me! I can't thank you enough!" sobbed Kayla.

"Kayla, as much as I appreciate the heartfelt thank you, I hate sentimentality, so can we please forget about it?"

"Trust me; I am never forgetting this…" Started Kayla, when Sergeant Johnstone walked in.

"Hello Isaac. If you don't mind, we need to talk. Alone" Said Johnstone.

Asher and Kayla took the hint and went to the corridor.

"If you are here to arrest me for bending in public, you can stick it up your…" Began Isaac.

"Watch your attitude; I'm not here to arrest you, so don't tempt me. I am here to discuss what you did at the school, but you're not in trouble." Johnstone said.

"Do you realised you went into the Avatar State and Earthbended?"

"Yes I do. Avatar Bumi told me" said Isaac in an irritated tone.

"What? How… What…Bumi? As in Bumi, last living Avatar?" asked Johnstone

Isaac explained to Johnstone his experience while he was unconscious.

"If what you say is true, then we finally have a chance at taking out the burning suns for good." Said Johnstone.

"There is something else. The attack on the school, that was the burning suns. They attempted to kidnap me." Said Isaac.

"They really must want more firebenders if they are going to these extremes" said the sergeant.

"What I want to know is how they knew I was a firebender. The only people who know are one of my friends who would never tell anyone, my mum and your police force." Accused Isaac.

"Are you saying there is a traitor in my force?" Asked Johnstone.

"No, I'm saying that they guessed!" said a sarcastic Isaac.

"Cut the attitude you little…"

"Maybe he would if you stopped asking stupid questions!" Yelled Kayla from the hall outside.

"Have you been listening to this conversation! I could have you arrested for that!" Yelled Johnstone.

"Do anything to her, and I won't help you take out the burning suns" said Isaac

"Fine, I will let you rest. You will be hearing from me soon"

Johnstone left, and Kayla and Asher came back. They talked for the next few hours, mostly Isaac trying to keep Asher and Kayla from killing each other, until Asher had to go home.

Eventually Kayla got a call from her dad, telling her to come down to the car park.

Before she left, she spoke to Isaac.

"I thought I was as good as dead yesterday. Now I am alive to live another day. I have you to thank for that. You risked your own life to get me out of there. So thank you."

Kayla leant over and kissed Isaac on the forehead, then picked up her jacket and left.

Since he was concussed, and the doctors thought he was hallucinating, Isaac had to stay at the hospital that night. He didn't mind though. He just kept thinking about what had happened, and couldn't wait for Kayla to come visit after school tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 5: 15 Minutes of Fame

**Chapter 5: 15 Minutes of Fame**

"Well look who it is!" Yelled one of Isaacs's classmates who he had never spoken to.

It was Monday morning and Isaac walked into the twelfth grade common room, and was welcomed with the sound of applause from his classmates. News of Isaac rescuing Kayla had spread around the school fast. Nobody knew all the details. In fact they didn't even notice any firebending, or earthbending. As far as they were concerned, Isaac was your average 12th grade student, other than the fact he saved someone from a burning building.

Isaac sat in his usual seat in the corner. Asher walked over and sat down next to him.

"You're quite the celebrity now aren't ya?" joked Asher.

"Yeah, and this is my VIP section, how did you get in here?" retorted Isaac.

"Just because I'm not a VIP in your eyes."

They heard the door open, and saw Kayla walk in. She knew as much about what really happened the week before as everyone else.

"Speaking of VIPs in your eyes…" said Asher, moving his head in Kayla' general direction. Finally Kayla noticed them.

"Isaac!" she yelled, running over and hugging him.

"Kayla, I know I saved your life and all, but you really gotta stop doing that, before you strangle me." Said an obviously uncomfortable Isaac.

"Nope" said Kayla with a cheeky grin. She finally let go of Isaac when Asher pulled her off. The bell rang, signalling the start of English, and Isaac and Kayla went to their class, and sat in their usual seats together. About halfway through the class, Isaac felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Lucky for him, it was on vibrate and nobody heard a thing. He pulled it out and found a text message from Kayla, who had managed to sneak one in when the teacher wasn't looking.

"_Isaac, I have been thinking, and I need to ask you something. I just want to know that you will answer me honestly." _The text read.

Isaac checked up to see if the teacher was looking, then moved his phone into his pencil case, pretending to look for a pen.

"_Sure I will tell the truth. What's up" _he replied.

A few minutes later, his phone buzzed again.

"_I have been thinking. We hadn't known each other long when you saved me. Yet the way we were, it felt like we had known each other all our lives. Then there is the fact that you almost killed yourself, running into a burning building to get me. Not everybody would do that for me."_

Isaac read the message, his instincts telling him what she would soon be asking.

"_Where are you going with this Kayla?"_

"_I want to know if you like me, as more than a friend, because friends who I have known all my life wouldn't have done what you did for me last week."_

His instincts were right. She was onto him, and he was clueless about how she felt.

"_Yes. I could ask the same of you. Ever since the incident, you haven't stopped near-tackling me every time you see me. As well as what happened in the hospital. What about you?"_

His hands were shaking as he waited for a response, until his phone buzzed.

"_I am not gonna lie. I feel the same. But what's stopping us from being more than 'friends'"_

Isaac was going to say nothing. Then he remembered what he told Sergeant Johnstone at the hospital. The Burning suns are after him. Last time they tried to take him, they almost killed Kayla. If the traitor in the police force were to realise of her importance to Isaac, she would be in danger of being held as a hostage. Or worse.

"_I'm sorry Kayla, but that can't happen at the moment." _

Isaac looked over at Kayla at the desk next to him. He saw her expression as she read the message. Isaac could tell that he had hurt her, and hated himself for it.

"_Why not? I like you, you like me? What more is there to it?"_ Read the message from Kayla.

"_Come to my house after school. I promise I will explain everything. Just trust me"_ he replied.

Kayla read the message, and gave Isaac a confused look. She then put her phone away, and pretended to pay attention to what was in the text book, but Isaac could tell that there was only one thing on her mind.

Isaac and Kayla ended up ditching last period. They caught the early train to the station near Isaacs's house, then walked the rest of the way.

"Isaac, can you please explain what's going on?" asked Kayla.

"I will tell you when we get to my place. I don't want to say anything in the open."

They crossed the last road, and where on Isaacs block. They ended up cutting through the alley that had the fire escape for Isaacs's apartment. This was their first mistake. They got halfway, when a man stood out from behind a dumpster. He had his hands open, fireballs hovering above each. He had the burning suns crest on his shirt.

Grabbing Kayla by the arm, he turned and ran, but this time the burning suns didn't make the same mistake in sending just the one man to abduct Isaac. Another man was at the other end of the alley, blocking their escape.

Isaac looked around, and saw the fire escape leading up to his room.

"Kayla," he whispered, "I want you to listen very carefully. I will create a diversion. When I do, I want you to run to the fire escape on your left, and climb to the sixth floor. Don't turn back no matter what happens"

Kayla was shaking, but nodded. Isaac turned to face one of the men. Pretending to exhale, he created a fireball, in each hand, and threw them at the trash cans on the sides of the alley. The cans exploded, with dark smoke pouring from them. Kayla took Isaac's words to heart, and ran to the fire escape. But after she got to the fourth floor, she couldn't help but look down.

Tendrils of extended from Isaac's wrists, creating long whips. Isaac then spun around, and flicked the both of them at the man behind him. The unexpected move caused the man to step back, tripping on the melted trash can. Isaac then turned to face the thug still standing. The thug ran at him, and sent multiple small tongues of flame towards Isaac. Isaac saw what was happening, and ducked for cover behind a dumpster. The Thug continued to run at him.

Attacks of flames continued, until eventually, the thug breached Isaac's defence, forcing him to the ground.

"You are coming with us" said the thug.

Isaac, desperate for a form of escape, searched the ally, to find some sort of weapon, some weakness. Then he saw it. His secret weapon that if he weren't in this vulnerable position, he would have never seen.

There was a car parked behind the thug, but it was what was under it that got Isaac thinking. The car was leaking petrol. Making the attack seem as obvious as possible, Isaac feinted a jet of flame at the thug, who avoided it with ease, stepping backwards. The flame ignited the petrol under the car. The sudden flame caused the fuel tank to ignite and explode, and in turn, the death of the thug. Isaac got up and walked over to the injured thug on the ground, the weak one who was uncoordinated enough to trip on a bin and injure himself. At least that's what Isaac thought.

It wasn't until Isaac got closer, that he saw tiny red hot flames, being held backhand by the man. He jumped up, and took a slash at Isaac with his makeshift daggers. Isaac dodged that, and went to ready a fireball. It was unneeded, as a gunshot was heard, and the thug hit the ground in a pool of blood, with Sergeant Johnstone, gun still smoking, standing behind him.

"How did you find me?" asked Isaac.

"Geez and to think, I thought you had some brain to you. Do you really think we would let as big of a threat to the public's safety as you walk around without being watched? Good thing too, I saved your smart…"

He was interrupted by Kayla's yelling.

"Isaac, what is going on?" she yelled, looking at the flaming trash cans, and the corpses.

"We have to take you down to the station for a debriefing. You should go get your mother, she needs to know what happened." Said the sergeant.

Isaac realised what had happened. Why the thugs weren't in the house. Because they had already been there…


	7. Chapter 6: Perfect Day For A Funeral

**Chapter 6: Perfect Day for a Funeral**

It was a cloudy day, the day Isaac said goodbye to his mother for the last time. He pretended to listen to what the pastor had to say, but really, he could only think one thought.

"_If only I got there earlier."_

After the attempted abduction in the alley, when Sergeant Johnstone told Isaac to get his mom, Isaac realised why they were in the alley, instead of waiting in the apartment. Because they had already been there. Isaac ran into the building, and sprinted up the stairs. He finally reached his apartment. The door was slightly open. Isaac readied a fireball in his right hand and a whip in his left. He kicked the door open. There was not a soul there. Only his mother's corpse on the ground.

The funeral continued, with the choir at his mother's church singing Amazing Grace. Then the next flashback happened. Of Isaac's deal with Sergeant Johnstone, a few days after the incident.

"I will help you take out the burning suns, but I have 3 conditions." Said Isaac.

"What conditions" asked the sergeant.

"Firstly, is there any way somebody could have made a copy of any information that the police force has on me?" asked Isaac.

"No our security would let us know in a second if anyone attempted to take their own copy."

"Good. I want it gone. As long as there is a traitor in your police force, me and anyone directly linked to me is in danger. From now on, anything that happens to me, the police force don't find out about, only you. I am moving in with Asher and his family, and nobody is to find out about that. I also want any information about him and his family gone." Demanded Isaac.

"What? If anyone found out about this, I could lose my job!" yelled the sergeant.

"And if this doesn't happen, I will eventually be kidnapped, and be forced to work for the burning suns or be killed. And as for Asher and his family, do you want them to become statistics of burning suns deaths?" asked Isaac.

"Fine, what else?" said an obviously annoyed Sergeant Johnstone.

"Having a trained Avatar on your side will stack the odds in our favour. I want you to find me a water, earth and airbending teacher. I am sure that the police force has seen a few in their time. Do whatever it takes to get them to teach me." Said Isaac to the sergeant.

"That is more reasonable." Agreed the sergeant

"Thirdly, I want Asher's house watched 24/7. His family are doing a good thing for me; I don't want the same thing happening to them, as what happened to my mom"

"I will try and follow all this up" said the sergeant.

Isaac's turn to pay his respects to his mother had come. He walked up to the open coffin.

"I'm sorry mom" he wept, as he tossed a flower into it. Everyone but him threw roses. He threw a sunflower, remembering her say years ago that it was her favourite. Eventually the coffin was closed, and lowered into the ground. Isaac with Asher towards Asher's mom's car, when Kayla walked up to him.

"You go ahead; I'll be at the car in a minute." Isaac told Asher. He took the hint, and left Isaac with Kayla.

"The cop explained everything to me. About how you're the avatar, and why those men attacked you. And I understand. I understand why you said what you said in that message. I hope things sort themselves out for you," Said Kayla

"Thanks." Replied Isaac.

"And most of all, I hope you find the bastards that did this, and make their lives hell for it" said Kayla.

Unsure what to say, as he had never seen this side of Kayla, Isaac couldn't help but smile. Until he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. It was a message from Asher.

"_Hey I don't mean to rush you, but the siblings are getting impatient and want to go home."_ Read the message.

"I gotta go. I'll see you around" said Isaac. He left the funeral, just like he had left his old life.

He felt his phone buzz in the car, signifying another message.  
_"All the information is gone. As far as the force is concerned, you don't exist. And I have found you a waterbending teacher. Meet me in the warehouse on 73__rd__ street tomorrow at noon. Johnstone"_ the message read.

Isaac got to his new home, and went to the room that he and Asher shared. He went to bed early, but sleep was gone to him.


	8. Chapter 7: Where Nobody Dares To Go

**Chapter 7: Where Nobody Dares to Go**

Isaac woke up at 6am, but couldn't get back to sleep. Too much had happened too fast. A month ago he was your average teenager, who was secretly a firebender. And all because of one man trying to mug him, his life had been turned upside down. His mother was dead, he was in hiding, and he was now working with the police force, who doesn't even know of his existence any more, to take down a gang that his father used to work for. At 8am Isaac got out bed, had a shower and got dressed. Asher and his siblings were at school, and his parents were at work. He left at 9 and started walking to the warehouse, pulling his hood over his face before he left.

As Isaac walked out the door, he noticed a black car that he had never seen near Asher's house before, the windows were tinted, but Isaac could just see a man sitting in the car, staring at him. At first he thought it was the burning suns, but then he remembered what he asked of Johnstone, to keep an eye or two on the block.

Isaac arrived at the warehouse at about 11:45, and walked in. The warehouse was empty. Empty except for the unconscious burning suns thug frozen to the wall.

"Like my handiwork?" asked an elderly voice from behind him.

Isaac looked around, to see an elderly man standing behind him.

"Why is he here? Did the burning suns find out I was here?" asked Isaac.

"No my dear boy, they came here for me. They tried to recruit me as a healer, and I wouldn't stand for it. Since then they have made abduction attempts on me, just as they have on you. I am surprised they found me here, they usually take a few months to find me before I move out." Laughed the old man. "I'm James by the way. And I am guessing you are Isaac? "

"Yes. Is it safe here if the burning suns have found you?"

"You are very cautious aren't you? That's a good thing I suppose, but don't spend your entire life looking behind your back. And yes, it is perfectly safe." Explained James, walking over to the elevator.

"Do you know what this building was used for back in the day?" he asked as he pushed the button for the old fashioned lift.

"No, I never knew, it has always just been there." Said Isaac. The lift arrived, and the doors opened. James stepped in a beckoned Isaac to follow him. Isaac walked over to the lift and stepped in. The lift started to descend.

"Back in the day, this was one of the many warehouses that were above the sewerage system. They were used to store machinery needed in the sewer systems, and were fitted with elevators to transport them." Explained James.

The lift doors opened to the smell of raw sewerage. Isaac held his breath, and walked silently behind James. Eventually they reached a spot in the sewers, where the liquid was cleanest. This was probably the most treated sewage. James lifted his arms, and pushed them away from him. The canal of liquid in front of him split, and with a single thought, froze, the now clear section of the canal revealing a metal door. James jumped down into the canal and opened the door, letting Isaac walk in first. After Isaac was in, James closed the door, and sealed it. They were in a small chamber, like that of a submarine, which would drain any water from the submarine before any doors to the main vessel were opened.

Once James made sure that it was sealed, he opened the next door, into a much larger room. Judging by the crash behind him, Isaac guessed that James had melted the frozen liquid, hiding the entrance to his home. For a house in the sewers it was quite clean. There was a bed in one corner, and a kitchen area in the other. The things that Isaac noticed first though were the training dummies and pots full of water in the other corner.

"So you want to learn to waterbend. Why?" asked James.

Isaac thought carefully before answering.

"The burning suns have hurt people close to me, and killed my mother. And they will keep hurting people until they get to me. They need to be stopped. If learning how to use the other elements will stack the odds in my favour, then that's what I will do." Replied Isaac.

"Is that why, or is this just for personal vengeance. Are you learning so you can avenge your mother, or protect others." Asked James.

"That is something I am trying to figure out" said Isaac

"Well then let's get started. First thing first, you see that training dummy over there?" he asked, and indicated which one. "I want to you destroy it, as fast as possible with firebending."

Isaac looked at the dummy and thought of the ways he could destroy it. He could use one big blast of fire, or lots of jabs with small fireballs. In the end he went with the small fireballs. Within seconds of each other, 5 fireballs were moving towards the dummy. One hit the chest, another the head and the other 3 hit the wall behind it. Isaac turned to face his teacher. James slowly lifted an arm, and in turn, a strand of water. Barely moving the rest of his body, he flicked his wrist. The long, thin strand of water flicked towards the training dummy, the concentration of the water decapitating it. Slow and graceful.

"The forms of firebending are primarily based on speed. Quick attacks. It doesn't matter if you miss your mark, because the fire will spread. Waterbending is different. Water doesn't spread. You need to take your time, and concentrate, making sure that you don't miss your mark. Accuracy is key." Explained James, pointing at the training dummies. Isaac's was burning, parts of it lying black on the ground. James' completely normal, except the missing head.

"With the right technique, water is just as deadly as fire. To begin your training, I want you to attempt to pull a stream of water out of the pot. Take it slowly, otherwise I will have charge you with flood damages if you overshoot it" he joked.

Isaac walked over to the pot and held his hand above it, waiting for something to happen. Nothing did. The minutes went by, and Isaac had grown impatient. He closed his eyes, and thought about why he was here. Why he was standing with him hand over a pot of water like a fool. He remembered the day of the fire at school, how he ran if for Kayla. He remembered her thanking him at the hospital. He remembered Asher, and his family, the risk they put themselves in by letting Isaac live there, and what the burning suns did to his mother. Isaac would have kept remembering these things, if it weren't for the wet feeling on his palm. He opened his eyes, to see a stream of water hovering below his hand.

A smile crept onto his face, at the sight of it.

"Well, you are a fast learner, I thought I would be able to have some dinner before we moved on, but I guess not." James laughed as he walked over. Isaac slowly released his control of the water, and turned to face his teacher.

7 hours later, Isaac left the sewers, and headed home. After James saw him levitate the water, he taught him how to move it. At first it was small amounts, but eventually Isaac was able to lift and move the whole contents of the pot to another one with ease. The last thing Isaac learnt that day was how to freeze water. All the skills necessary to enter James home unassisted.

As he walked home, he realised how late it was, and how hard it would be to explain to Asher's parents where he had been. He didn't care though. Soon the burning suns would be a bad dream, and how maybe he could go back to his old life.


	9. Chapter 8: Reunions

**Chapter 8: Reunions**

Weeks went by and Isaac continued his waterbending training. He was still far from being a master, but was making good progress. Isaac was walking home from his class one day, when his phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket to find an incoming call from Kayla.

"Hey, what's up?" Isaac asked.

"Isaac, those men from the alley, the ones who killed your mom. They came to my house!" said Kayla frantically.

"What? Are you alright?"

"I was home alone, and heard someone bashing against the door. I ran out to the fire escape and climbed down that. They got in just as I left, and saw me. They had the same shirt. The rising sun. I have been running since, but I think they are following me."

"Run toward the warehouse on 73rd street. Quickly!" said Isaac starting to panic. Looking around one of the buildings, he saw a balcony sticking out from the wall. There was no car parked out the front of the house, and it had no garage, so it was safe to assume nobody was home. Giving himself some space to run, Isaac jumped towards the decking, and created jets of flame from his palms and feet, which propelled him towards the balcony. This was the first time Isaac had ever attempted this, and his lack of experience caused him to lose balance, and eventually the jets of flame disappeared, leaving him to fall. Grabbing the first thing he could see, a drain pipe on the wall, Isaac climbed up until he was on the balcony.

It began to rain, and Isaac waited for Kayla to run around the corner. He didn't have to wait long. Eventually she ran around the corner, and behind her were to men, wearing the burning suns logo. They hadn't noticed him yet, but Isaac was quick to change that. Readying a fireball, Isaac waited until they went past a car parked nearby, and threw it. They never saw it coming. The car exploded with a bang, and Isaac took the opportunity to join in on the action. From the safety of his balcony, he raised the rainwater on the ground, creating a wall between the thugs and Kayla, then froze it. He then bent what was left of the rain water, making a cushion on the ground. Jumping off the balcony, Isaac landed on the cushion, then sent 2 fireballs in the thugs direction. He never saw if they hit. All he saw was black after a sharp pain appeared in his head.

"Isaac, wake up. Come on wake up."

Everything was blurry. Eventually it came into focus. He we in a dark room, with Kayla kneeling over him. He sat up and looked around. The room had no windows, the only source of light was a weak globe on the roof.

"What happened?" Isaac asked Kayla

"After you made that ice wall thing, 2 other guys came around the corner. One grabbed me, the other used his firebending to melt a hole in the wall, then he knocked you out." Said Kayla, "They brought us here"

"They are going to torture you until you join them. They have done that to me for almost 5 years now" said a raspy voice from the corner." Isaac turned around to a man sitting in the corner of the room. His clothes were torn, yet somewhat familiar.

After a few hours, footsteps were heard from outside the door. After a few seconds, a small panel on the door slid open, and a man's face was visible.

"So, enjoying the family reunion." He said in a mocking tone. Not knowing what the man was talking about, Isaac threw a fireball at the open panel, but the panel slid shut before the fireball hit.

"Isaac, what was he talking about?" asked Kayla.

"You know just as much as I do." Said Isaac.

"Isaac? Isaac Reed?" asked the man in the corner.

"Yes that's me. How do you know my name?"

"I suppose it's been that long. I am not surprised you don't recognise your own father."

Sergeant Johnstone walked over to Constable Gibson's desk.

"I know what you did Gibson. I know you are the traitor. When Asher Falter called the station to tell us Isaac Reed had gone missing, and Kayla Thompson's parents called with the exact same thing, I had the computer history looked at to see who had looked at Kayla's information. Your name was the only one that came up. You read the report on the school fire, and saw that Isaac ran in after her. So you set up a similar situation. Put her in trouble so Isaac could come." Said Johnstone, "Why betray us? For the burning suns? Why? After all these years, why help the people we were trying o fight?"

Gibson looked up at the Sergeant.

"You really are that gullible aren't you? You actually believed I was part of the police force first didn't you? Please, the police were at our doorstep, so I was sent to slow you down a bit. But now that you have figured it out…" Started Gibson. One of the things he learnt with the burning suns, was to always make an attack mid-sentence.

Kicking his desk hard enough to slide into Johnstone, Constable Gibson revealed his true talents, as a fire bender. Gibson threw multiple fireballs at the Sergeant, but none hit. It didn't matter though, because they caused Johnstone to walk backwards, back to the wall. Gibson ran towards him punched. Gibson didn't know whether it was the initial punch to the head, or Johnstone's head hitting the wall behind him, all that mattered was that Johnstone was unconscious. And tomorrow, people will find his body. They will discover that his constant failures at work caused him to become depressed, until it was just too much…

"Dad?" asked Isaac. After that he finally saw his father under the torn clothes and dirt.

"I left so they wouldn't find you. I guess that was for nothing." Said a sad Samuel.

"Not necessarily, I have a plan."


	10. Chapter 9: Breaking Free

**Chapter 9: Breaking Free**

Isaac waited by the door for the right moment. His father was on the other side in case he was needed, and Kayla was out of view of the door, in case it got ugly. Then the moment came. The new-blood thug that was stuck with the crappy job of bringing the prisoners dinner. The cell was silent when Isaac heard footsteps. The panel on the door opened, and Isaacs arm went through it just as fast, grabbing the arm of the thug. As much as Isaac didn't want to go through with this plan, he knew he had no choice. Isaac s area around Isaac's hand heated up. Isaac didn't feel it, but the thug did. His screams pierced the air, just as the smell of his burning flesh did.

"Open the door, and I will let go." Said Isaac in a calm voice.

"Never." Sobbed the thug, the pain becoming more unbearable as the heat rose.

Samuel walked over and decided to finish this.

"I remember back in the day, when I was power hungry like you, your leader taught me a firebending technique that I haven't used in years. How would you like to have one billion volts of electricity sent through your body?" asked Samuel.

"Okay! I will open the door, please just stop!" yelled the weak willed thug. The door opened, and Samuel walked out, and punched the thug unconscious. They began to run, following Samuel through the building.

"Do you know your way out of here?" yelled Isaac.

"Yes, we can sneak through the main entrance, but that will take a while. Or we can go through the kitchens and out the back door, but the kitchen is next to the cafeteria, so we will have a hell of a fight." Said Samuel.

"The kitchens, I think we can take them." Said Isaac.

They were running along a hallway when a thug appeared. Before Isaac could do anything, Samuel had already generated a bolt of lightning, and stopped the thug.

"You will have to teach me that someday" said Isaac.

"That's assuming we get out of here in one piece."

They got to the kitchen, and took a minute to plan the last push of their escape. Looking around the room, Isaac saw a row of sinks. From a distance, he bent the water from them, causing the taps to run.

"Kayla, wait here, don't move until we come get you" Isaac said. Kayla nodded, and Isaac and Samuel made their way towards the mess hall. Before going in, Isaac took the water from the sink, and readied himself by the door.

The mess hall was full. Thugs were sitting at tables eating their dinner, and bragging about how many firebenders they kidnapped. With a crash the door swung open, and a jet of water came through, it hit the ground of the cafeteria, and the thugs were wondering what was going on. Samuel ran through the door, and aiming for the wet floor beneath the thugs, created a lightning bolt. Most of the thugs fell, others, knew of Samuel Reed as the legendary firebender who tried to leave. When they saw him walk through the door, they guessed what was going on, and jumped onto something dry. After the electrical attack, the real fight began.

The fight was going in Isaacs favour. Eventually, there were only 5 thugs left in the room. At least that's what Isaac thought. A sneak attack from the cowardly sixth left Isaac vulnerable on the ground. Samuel kept fighting. Eventually 4 of the thugs fell, and only 2 were left. The thug sent a jet of flame towards Samuel, who deflected it with ease. While his back was turned, the other thug pulled a knife from his pocket, getting ready to throw it. In his weakened position, Isaac only saw 1 way to stop this. Isaac froze the pool of water that the thug was standing on, which bought him some time, then using other water on the ground, made a deadly ice spike. The thug never saw it coming. Just as he was about to throw, he felt a pain through his chest for the split second before his death.

Sergeant Johnstone woke up, to find himself tied up in the boot of a car. Constable Gibson's car to be exact.

"Let me out of here you psycho!" yelled Johnstone.

"Insults aren't going to work in your favour old friend, but I suppose, at the moment nothing will work in your… What the…?"

The car came to a stop, and the sergeant could hear a police megaphone.

"Constable Gibson, get out of the car and put your hands on your head. All exits are blocked, and we have snipers stationed on the surrounding buildings. There is no escape." Said the officer in charge of the mega-phone.

A few minutes later, the boot of the car was opened, by one of Johnstone's comrades. Johnstone got out of the car and laughed to himself. Did Gibson really not think that Johnstone wouldn't have the station bugged if he suspected a traitor? Nor did he realise that he was driving a car that could be tracked 24/7?

"Take him away, lock him up, and throw away the key. Let the traitor rot." Said Johnstone with disgust.

After taking out the last thug, Samuel ran over to Isaac and helped him up. Isaac couldn't walk by himself, because of the wounds he sustained during the fight, so Samuel stayed by his side. But it wasn't his wounds that made him feel faint. It was the sight of the thug's blood, running down the spike of ice that his corpse was impaled on. Isaac took his life away. It was something he would never forget.

After getting Kayla, they made their way out of the building, and onto the road. To their surprise they saw police cars. People living nearby must have heard what went on in the building nest door. Sergeant Johnstone stepped out of one. Swat Vans arrived, and armed officers enter the building. Sergeant Johnstone walked over towards them, and his words were those that nobody expected.

"Samuel Reed, you're under arrest for counts of assault, murder and destruction of property."

"What?" yelled Isaac.

"Your father has been on the run from the law for the past 22 years. We figured he had been captured, and we were right. Now he has to pay for his crimes."

"That's bull…" began Isaac, until Samuel stopped him.

"Kayla, can you please help Isaac stand, while I talk to the officer?" he asked politely.

Silently, Kayla walked over to Isaac, and helped him walk over to a seat where he could sit down. They didn't make it half way to the seat when they heard a bang. Isaac turned around to see one of the police cars in flames, smoke clearing from where his father was standing, and his father gone.

Isaac smiled to himself. He couldn't help but think

"_The amount of cars I have destroyed in the past week, and him doing that. God, it must be a family thing."_


	11. Chapter 10: Mistakes Of The Past

**Chapter 10: Mistakes of the Past**

It was about 9pm when Isaac arrived home. His day had been filled with waterbending training with James. For the past month, Isaac had been training waterbending 10 hours a day, 7 days a week, and James was confident that Isaac will be a master waterbender in the next 3 months.

Since he had been training all day, Isaac went to the kitchen to get some food, and found an envelope on the bench with his name on it. Curious as to what it was, Isaac opened it.

"_Isaac, I am so glad to know that you are alive and happy, and so sorry that I left, maybe if I was still around, I might have been able to protect you and your mother better. I left to lead the Burning Suns away from you, so you wouldn't make the same mistakes I did. Don't try and find me. Running from the law isn't the good life. It is bad enough having the Burning Suns wanting you, and if the police think you are helping me, they will be after you as well. Right now you should focus on your Avatar training. I wish the burden that was put onto someone else, but I also realise that nobody else has the strength to go through what you have gone through and keep going. Once all of this is over, I promise I will find you, and make up for all the years. Maybe even teach you a few firebending tricks. Love Dad"_.

Isaac read through it again, but this time found a small sentence on the bottom.

"_I have enclosed a list of potential earth and airbending teachers who would be willing to teach you. To see the list, just do what we do best"_

It took Isaac a second to realise what the message meant. Holding the slip of paper in one hand, he heated his other hand, and held it above the page. After a few seconds, black ink began to appear on the page. What used to be invisible ink.

After filling his stomach with a hot meal, he walked up to the room he and Asher shared. Asher was out at work, and wouldn't be home until late, so Isaac readied the webcam on his computer, and took that as a chance to video call Kayla.

"How is your waterbending training going?" asked Kayla.

"Really well. At this rate I will be done in a few months, and can move on to the next element." Said Isaac.

There was silence for a few seconds.

"I got a letter today, from my dad." Said Isaac.

"What? What did it say?" said an obviously interested Kayla.

"Just apologies for running away. And the names of some earth and airbending teachers."

"That's great! At this rate you will have mastered them all by the end of the year!" she said happily.

"But even when I have done that, it may be years before the Burning Suns aren't making things a mess." Said Isaac.

"Then I guess that we won't be together for years." Said Kayla.

"That's not what I said."

"Look I have to go." Said Kayla. She stopped the call, but not before Isaac could see tears forming.

Out of rage Isaac kicked his bed, then lay down. He was angry at the whole situation. He didn't ask for this. He didn't ask to be the Avatar, or even a firebender. He would happily give it up if he could have his family back, his old life.

Isaac tried sleeping, but had too much on his mind. It got to 1am when he gave up sleeping. He went to the closet, and grabbed a pair of tracksuit pants and a hoodie, and got dressed as quietly as possible. Finally he was dressed, and went to open the window.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Asher.

Isaac turned around to see Asher sitting up staring at him.

"I can't sleep, so I'm going for a walk."

"Gimme a minute to get dressed. I'll come" said Asher.

Half an hour later, they were walking down 5th avenue. Though they lived together, they hadn't had much time to talk the past few weeks. Asher had school, and work after that, and Isaac spent his days in the sewers, learning to waterbend. Isaac enjoyed talking with Asher.

"So what's on your mind?" Asher asked Isaac.

"Nothing." Lied Isaac.

"Don't lie to me. When you're not having nightmares, you sleep perfectly. Something is up."

Isaac explained what happened with Kayla, how being with her would be too dangerous for her at the moment, and what happened on the video call.

"Wow, that sucks." Said Asher.

Isaac nodded in agreement. They continued walking. Until Isaac grabbed Asher, and pulled him behind a dumpster.

"What the hell are you doing?" Whispered Asher.

"That's my old apartment building. The fire escape is down, and the light in my old room is on. That van over there is the one that kidnapped Kayla and I." said Isaac.

"What do we do?" asked Asher.

"What do you think? We run." Said Isaac.

An hour later they got back home, without being noticed. They got back into bed and went to sleep.

The next day Isaac was training waterbending with James. Isaac mustn't have been waterbending as well as usual, because James was able to tell something was wrong.

"Isaac, what's on your mind." He asked.

"Ever since that night I got mugged, people around me have hurt by the Burning Suns. People I care about. And while I am around them, they will continue to be hurt." Said Isaac.

"And how do you plan to stop this" asked James.

"There is only one way. To leave. To go somewhere far away. Until I have mastered all the elements, I can't protect everyone. Even when I have mastered them, I still can't. But I stand a better chance then. If I am gone, the Burning Suns will follow me, and leave the other people alone. It's not just that they want me to work for them now. They want revenge. I have killed their men, and made them look like fools." Said Isaac.

"How do you know that if you were to leave, they won't come after your friends to try and bring you back?" Asked James.

"After Kayla and I were kidnapped, the police put Kayla's family into hiding. Their house is being watched 24/7 as well as Asher's. Since the traitor was discovered and imprisoned, they have no way of finding them. I am their prime target, and if they find out about anyone close to me, they are as good as dead. The only thing making me stay is the waterbending training." Said Isaac.

"Actually, I haven't been completely honest with you" said James.

"What are you talking about?"

"I told you that you will have mastered waterbending in 2 months. The truth is, that you already know everything I can teach you. There is just the matter of practising." said James

"So that means I could leave. You have nothing left to teach me?" Asked Isaac.

"Yes. If you were to leave now, you would have my blessing. I understand why you feel the need to leave."

Kayla arrived home from school tired and thirsty. As she walked past her mail box, she grabbed all of the mail. She had a quick glance at the mail, and then noticed a letter addressed to her. After a second she recognized the writing. Isaac's writing.

"_Kayla, I have given this lots of thought, and come to the conclusion that as long as I am living in this city, everyone close to me is in danger. That is why I have to leave. I am sorry that I have to go. I promise I will come back one day, and end this madness. But right now it is not possible. I hope you can forgive me for this. Love Isaac."_

After seeing this, Kayla dropped her bags and ran to Asher's house. She knocked at the door and Asher answered, but it was too late. Isaac was gone, and Asher had a similar letter in his hand. She didn't try to read his letter, but 4 words stood out to her;

"_Take Care of Kayla"_.


End file.
